Monday, November 12, 2012

No other modern
filmmaker has traced the roots of queer iconography through the landscape of
popular culture like Todd Haynes has. Every single one of his films wears the
mask of different cinematic inspirations, from The Stepford Wives,
B-horror films, and Fassbinder, to documentaries, to All That Heaven Allows
(and the rest of Douglas Sirk’s lush canon) which provides a clever transition
to a face of fascinating queer dynamics and dimensions underneath.

Following the arthouse
success of his first two feature films, Poison and Safe, Haynes
poured his all into a passion project that would tell the “unofficial” story of
the rise and fall of glam rock called Velvet Goldmine. In the film
Haynes borrows a genius plot device from Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane as
we follow British journalist Arthur Stuart (Christian Bale) who is assigned the
daunting story of finding out what happened to glam rock icon Brian Slade
(Jonathan Rhys Meyers) an influential David Bowie-esque rock star who inspired
millions of fans to explore their sexuality in gender bending style. At the
height of his worldwide success Brian faked his death on stage at a sold out
concert, a move that alienated his fans and destroyed his career. But what led
him to such career suicide? Was it living in the shadow of an inspiration like
musician Jack Fairy, a queer enigma who seemed to come straight from outer
space? Was it the burning fire behind his relationship, both professional and
much more, with hard rocker Curt Wild (Ewan McGregor)? Or was it merely the
shock of becoming a rising star under the guise of a persona that the world
loved but Slade despised?

The true pleasure of
watching Velvet Goldmine is watching how Haynes allows his journalist to
connect the dots from the cold present day to a shiny, glittery past. With
Brian Slade having never been heard from again, Arthur sets out to interview
those closest to him from his bitter and long suffering ex-wife Mandy (Toni
Collette) to his flamboyant and conniving ex-manager Jerry Devine (a
fits-like-a-glove performance from Eddie Izzard) and everyone in-between. All
the while Arthur inserts himself into Slade’s history from the point of view of
one of his biggest fans, a teenager who is coming to terms with a burgeoning
sexuality that Slade’s lyrics, style and appeal begins to influence. It is
through Arthur that Todd Haynes’ real connection to the film comes through.
When we watch young Arthur try on blush and eyeliner and become turned on
listening to Brian Slade’s album, while leering over the elegant nude photos of
the artist within, we feel a connection to Haynes’ teenage years. We can
imagine what an epiphany he felt listening to the likes of David Bowie, Iggy
Pop and Jobriath, the real artists whose stories and legends provide Velvet
Goldmine its real glitter and we really hope that the fabulous legend that
the filmmaker has brought to life matches the real life stories of some of
rock’s biggest stars.

These men who changed minds, music and the world for a
delicious new better one also get paid tribute on the film’s explosive
soundtrack that features some of the very songs that made that era infamous,
covered by modern groups like Radiohead's Thom
Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, David Gray, Suede's Bernard
Butler, and Roxy Music's Andy Mackay. The American musicians who
played as Curt Wild's Wylde Ratttz on the soundtrack were The
Stooges' Ron Asheton, Sonic Youth's Thurston
Moore and Steve Shelley, Minutemen's Mike Watt, Gumball's Don
Fleming, and Mark Arm of Mudhoney. This great soundtrack features new
songs written for the film by Pulp, Shudder to
Think and Grant Lee Buffalo as well as many early glam rock
compositions, both covers and original versions. The Venus in Furs cover
several Roxy Music songs with Thom Yorke channeling Bryan
Ferry on vocals, Placebo covers T. Rex's "20th Century
Boy," Wylde Ratttz and Ewan McGregor cover The Stooges' "T.V.
Eye" and "Gimme Danger," and Teenage Fanclub and Donna
Matthews cover The New York Dolls' "Personality
Crisis." Lou Reed, Brian Eno, T. Rex, and Steve
Harley songs from the period are also included. Like the opening of the
film disclaims: “Although what you
are about to see is a work of fiction, it should never the less be played at
maximum volume.”